The Question: I received a solicitation from a firefighters charitable organization saying I gave them $20 last summer and asking for similar help. I asked for the charity's mailing address and was given 8982 Cincinnati-Columbus Road, West Chester, Ohio. I didn't catch the name of the group, but I was told they help children who have been hurt in fires.

I told the caller I didn't have a record of the contribution, and he said, "Perhaps you should keep better records."

Who called me? Is this a legitimate group? How do I get off its call list?

-- Jan Kordish, Cleveland

The Answer: The address you got led me to Edward "Tony" Phelan, who runs two separate Ohio telemarketing companies, EAP Enterprises and Firefighters Services LLC.

Phelan said Firefighters Services phoned you on behalf of the New York-based Firefighters Charitable Foundation, whose goal is to help people affected by fire and disasters.

Charity Navigator, the charity rating site, gives the foundation zero stars out of a possible four.

Phelan said he would remove you from his company's call list but took issue with your description of the call. "I believe there is some confusion about a price being mentioned," he e-mailed. "Our presentation reads as follows, 'The membership is the same $50, $35 or $20 like last year' not to insinuate that she gave last year but to let potential donors know that the levels of support have not changed."

In case you were wondering, Phelan's company gives Firefighters Charitable Foundation 15 percent of the money it collects from donors.

While that may be a little shocking for donors, it's not uncommon for professional telemarketers to keep the bulk of what they raise in solicitations for charities.

Anyone soliciting donations from Ohioans is supposed to tell the state attorney general's office the start and end dates of their fund-raising campaigns.

Attorney general spokesman Ted Hart said although Firefighters Services is registered to solicit funds in Ohio, the company's paperwork indicates its campaign for Firefighters Charitable Foundation ended last December.

Phelan said his two-year contract with the charity is on file with the attorney general's office, but Hart said the company should correct its paperwork if it plans to continue the campaign.

While enforcement of Ohio's charitable solicitation laws has historically been spotty, Attorney General Rich Cordray announced in May that his office had procured a consent agreement from Community Support Inc. of Wisconsin. Cordray accused the professional solicitor of misrepresenting itself by, among other things, falsely claiming consumers had made a prior donation when they had not; claiming to be police officers or firefighters; and suggesting money would go to local groups.

Hart encouraged you and anyone else who receives a troubling solicitation call to file a complaint with his office.

Consumer Wise Paid telemarketers collecting for a nonprofit must immediately tell you the name of their company and give you the name and address of the charity for which they are collecting.

If you ask, they also must tell you what percentage of your donation will go to the nonprofit. More of your money will go to the cause if you donate directly.

Charities can call even if you're on the Do Not Call Registry, but professional solicitors must honor your request not to be called again.

The Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) reports on whether national and local nonprofits meet BBB charity standards. Charitynavigator.org and Guidestar.org reveal how much of a group's income goes to programs and provide ratings.

To see if a fund-raiser is registered in Ohio, or to file a complaint, contact the attorney general at 1-800-282-0515 or ohioattorneygeneral.gov.

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